The special screening of director Kamaleswar Mukherjee’s short film The Hunger Artist took place in the presence of the cast and crew of the film.

Goutam Ghose, Sudeshna Roy, Anik Dutta, and others graced the special screening of the film.

Ritwick Chakraborty (Bhuto), Biswanath Basu (Ghona), and Priyanka Mondal (Lady Interviewer) are the lead cast of this film.

Ritwick Chakraborty requested the audience to watch this short film of twenty minutes. Otherwise, they will be devoid of witnessing a great experience that will give them a memory that will last for 20 years.

Biswanath Basu said that the film satisfied his thirst for acting in a memorable role. Despite the film being a short film, the actor did not feel that there was anything done on a short scale. During the dubbing, he felt that the effort and the magnitude were the same as in a feature film.

The screenplay of the film is by Kamaleswar Mukherjee.

Kamaleswar Mukherjee said, “The short film The Hunger Artist is based on Franz Kafka’s story that was published in 1922. There is a use of metaphors in the film. Ritwick and Biswanath have acted wonderfully in this film”.

The film shows Bhuto, a young man in his late twenties from a low-middle-income urban population who goes on hunger strikes on a regular basis to protest international acts of violence in Syria, France, Pakistan, the United States, and Nigeria, among other places. As the occurrences of violence are so common across the globe in our time, he becomes accustomed to enduring hunger for days. Ghona, a street-savvy business-minded friend of his, picks him up as a prized pawn with whom he can play. Ghona recognizes him as a “hunger artist” and suggests that he sell his “hunger art” as a “reality show” artist, which will earn them a lump sum.

Bhuto is encased and flooded with light for display in a galleried museum setting in the ‘Hunger Artiste’ show. People flock to see the fun and excitement of a man who has endured days of hunger. Being promoted by the media brings fame and money, and the spotlight gradually blinds Bhuto. What happens next?

The film has been honored at various film festivals. Some of them are:

1. The Inaugural Film at Calcutta International Film Festival 2020
2. Official Selection: 9th Mumbai Shorts International Film Festival 2019
3. Official Selection: Florence Film Awards- Monthly Competition 2019
   4. Honourable Mention: London X4 Seasonal Short Film Festival Spring 2020
4. Official Selection: White Nights Film Festival (Russia) 2020
5. 11th Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival 2020

Anik Dutta said “I have always liked the way Kamaleswar made his films. He stands out from the other contemporary directors as his viewpoint is different and he does a lot of reading on filmmaking. These are all evident in the way in which he makes the films”.

Goutam Ghose loved the way that abstract elements have been presented and treated in this film by Kamaleswar Mukherjee. He also loved the way consumerism has been treated in the film.

Sudeshna Roy said “The name Kafka might make the audience afraid of watching the film. But the film has been made in a simple way by Kamaleswar and will hit you in the gut. A digestible film about hunger is what I will describe the film as”.

Presented by Pritam Chowdhury, the short film is produced by Fatfish Entertainment.

Link to film on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05fbZhfIYtM

Priyanka Dutta